UPDATE AT 2:07 P.M.: Officials expect the dog park to close and work to begin in March. It is expected that it will remain closed through December, when the work is scheduled to be finished.

The upgrades will also include a redo of the popular "dog launch" that leads into the lake (photo above).

ORIGINAL POST @ 12:17: The White Rock Lake Dog Park will get major upgrades in the coming months after the Dallas City Council approved a $946,000 contract this morning.

The work to be done by A S Con, Inc. includes "almost a complete reconstruction of the park" and an 80 percent expansion, said Willis Winters, director of the city parks department. Money for the project was approved by voters as part of the 2006 bond package.

Anyone who uses the popular park probably knows it floods easily following rain storms and sometimes has to shut down as a result.

"We're adding, for the first time, irrigation, drainage, new fencing for expanded boundaries and other pedestrian amenities," Winters said.

Construction is expected to begin next month and be completed in August. I'm seeking more information on whether the entire park will be closed during the work.

About $40,000 was put into the park before it opened in 2001 and, since then, it's been populated beyond officials' wildest imagination, Winters said.